Upcoming Dates:
April 26 |
First of USAC’s three upcoming ECF information sessions (see ECF Newsletter below). |
April 27 |
Comments due on the FCC’s proposal to create an E-rate competitive bidding portal (FCC 21-124). Reply comments are due May 27th. |
April 28 |
Opening of the third ECF application window (see DA 22-309 and our newsletter of March 28th). The window will close May 13th at 11:59 p.m. EDT. |
April 29 |
Form 486 deadline for FY 2021 covering funding committed in Wave 38. More generally, the Form 486 deadline is 120 days from the FCDL date or from the service start date (typically July 1st), whichever is later. Upcoming Form 486 deadlines are:
Wave 39 05/06/2022
Wave 40 05/13/2022
Wave 41 05/20/2022 |
May 16 |
FCC comments due on the FCC’s Notice of Inquiry regarding the prevention and elimination of digital discrimination (FCC 22-21). Reply comments are due June 30th. |
May 26 |
Extended FY 2022 application window deadline for new Tribal libraries (see DA 22-231). |
ECF Payment Reviews:
A unique feature of ECF invoicing, not found in the E-rate program, is the option for applicants to request BEAR payments before they pay their suppliers. Applicants choosing this option are then given 30 days after receipt of their BEAR payments to pay those suppliers.
This prepayment option appears in the BEAR form as follows:

If an applicant selects “Y,” the prepayment option, the applicant will then have to document the subsequent payment to the supplier. If that is not done within about 35 days of the BEAR approval — 5 days to receive the Treasury payment plus 30 days to pay the supplier — USAC will email the applicant an “Emergency Connectivity Fund Information Request” stating:

If an applicant selects “N,” indicating that the supplier has already been paid, there is an option to upload payment documentation, thus avoiding a subsequent payment review.
EPC Entity Profiles to Be Unlocked May 1st:
Entity profiles in EPC were locked a few days prior to the opening of the FY 2022 Form 471 application window and typically remain locked for several weeks after the close of the window. As we have discussed in the past, the purpose of locking the entity profiles during the Form 471 filing period is to prevent changes in one entity’s data that might affect applications being filed by other related entities such as a consortium or library. Applicants trying to change their entity profiles now will receive the following message:

As indicated in the current message, entity profiles are scheduled to be unlocked on May 1st. Applicants planning to file ECF requests in the third window — April 28th to May 13th — should review their entity profiles to make sure that their discount rate data, particularly their NSLP percentages, are updated. With limited funding available in ECF-3, discount and NSLP data will be critical.